Bitterly, the weaver sighed,And the cook in passion cried,Full of jealousy and hateOf their sister's happy fate.- Alexander Pushkin Human beings are complex creatures. We can love and hate with the same energy. When we meet a cruel person, we call him “inhuman”. Because being “human” entails love, solidarity, generosity. However, after getting to know so many people that are everything but nice, one starts to wonder about the true nature of humans. What is to be human? Are we capable of [...]

I have read many Russian folktales in my time, but never have I read a Russian folktale that had truly gorgeous illustrations and a heartwarming story! “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” is a Russian folktale by Alexander Pushkin along with illustrations by Gennady Spirin and it is about how a young prince named Prince Guidon is separated from his father Tsar Saltan, after a terrible plot was formed by his mother’s jealous sisters and the Tsar’s cruel cousin. “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” is defi [...]

A very touching, a gentle and eerie story. I perceived it as an ars poetica fairytale – a farfetched concept have I come up with! – because of some fantasticaly-ironical creative principle it has, as part of the plot: 3 ugly and envious hags are making up stories, trying to prevent the tsar in reuniting with his exiled wife and son. These two have been banished by the tsar due to the wicked machinations of the hags: first, they send him a letter containing a false message, a fantastically ma [...]

I've read a lot of fairy tales in my life, and I love them, so it's fun when I discover a new one. When my husband traveled to Russia earlier this year, someone gave him a beautifully illustrated edition of Alexander Pushkin's tales—in Russian. Unfortunately I don't read Russian, but fortunately we were able to find out what the stories in the book are and obtain English editions of them.The Tale of Tsar Saltan is about three sisters who talk about what they would do if they married the Tsar. [...]

I do not think it is possible for me to describe the effect this story had on me as a child. It was not only amazing, but it was so eloquent and well written that every single reading was a special experience. Even now, whener I read this, I am filled with wonder and excitement.Три девицы под окном Пряли поздно вечерком."Кабы я была царица,-Говорит одна девица,-То на весь крещеный мирПриготовила б [...]

Without the stunning artwork by Gennady Spirin, I don't think I would have enjoyed this as much. The design of the clothing of the characters is simply out of this world: a winter wonderland of folds and layers and textures, of jewels and beadwork, of golds and reds and creams, of detailed lace and stunning embroidery. The title page itself, the tsar in his stupendous robes, is so complex one must study the functions of his apparel. So, three stars for the story, and another star for the illustr [...]

This is a wonderful Russian folktale with terrific illustrations by Gennady Spirin. The story is a classic tale from the 1800s by Alexander Pushkin and the pictures complement it nicely. They are so intricate and appear to be as old as the story itself. We enjoyed reading this story together.

This is one of the fairy tales I grew up with. But now that I'm older, I keep wondering about the politics in Saltan's court. Was he married before? Why did he pick that particular young woman to marry? She said she'd bare him a mighty warrior for a son, but presumably she was also of good birth and had a good dowry, or was at the very least very beautiful. Was it a Henry VIII situation, where he was so desperate for a male hair that he was ready to risk marrying the first lady who promised to d [...]

Great and beautiful story!While reading it recently, I actually realized I already knew the story - details and scenes came to my mind, and I remembered that Mom used to read me lots of Russian children`s stories and tales, this must be one of them.I have read it in three different languages, but somehow anything other than Russian seemed wrong, as I knew by heart first lines of the tale. Although the translations are mostly well done and professional, the tale in every other language sounds lik [...]

I received this book as a birthday present when I was seven, and for a boy of seven it contained all the fantasy one needs. The book was printed in large landscape pages with the poetry on one page and a beautiful pictorial illustration on the other. The story deals with a royal mother and her child who were enclosed in a box and thrown into the sea as result of a conspiracy from her sisters who were jealous of her. They reached a strange island where the child grew to be a king. The latter part [...]

I didn't read the illustrated version of this translation, just the free online one. Here: marxists/subject/art/lMostly I just wanted to see how Pushkin could be translated and now I know. This is actually very good and close to Puskin's original words, although much really IS lost in putting such a classically Russian verse into English.If you've heard the story of the Swan Princess, here is what it's based on. It's been decades and I still remember some of the original Russian verse. Classic.

Four stars, despite the refrains and the "simpler" meter*, because I loved this as a child and Pushkin is still a genius. (Also, the parallels to the Man of Law's tale, in The Canterbury Tales, are compelling. Things not noticed at four years old.) *The lines here are shorter than in some of Pushkin's other works, and they rhyme in couplets, rather than quatrains. Granted, this is a skazka (fairytale) and not a novel in verse.

A nice translation in rhyming couplets that isn't HallmarkyI liked the book. It was interesting to imagine this as a really Russian story. It has so many similarities to one in The Arabian Nights. Most likely made its way to Pushkin via his dark-skinned ancestors. Great book to read in Black History month. Pushing was a black Russian.

This is a "must tale" to read to your kids. I am not sure how well it is translated into English, but in Russian it is beautiful. Pushkin has a uniquely flowing and beautiful language. He has many tales written for kids and I would highly recommend all of them.

I liked this book a lot in my childhood. I think it's an interesting fairy-tale not only for children but for adults too. Special "thank you" to Pushkin for this one, verses are very easy to remember (even for children).

I am quite surprised that I did not enjoy this Pushkin tale. I found the elements of a potentially good story within the book but a compellingly woven narrative was sorely lacking. Even as a children's book it fails to satisfy.